This year’s 98.3 The Coast Talent Show was held at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs Monday through Wednesday.
Auditions occurred on July 27 in the USA/Ag Expo building on the fairgrounds. Age categories included ages 7-10, 11-14 and 15-18. Of the 60 acts that auditioned with more than 70 contestants, 10 from each age category were chosen to compete in the finals this week.
In the 7-10 age category, Mackenzie Warren of Bridgman took first place, singing “Good Morning Baltimore.” Matthew Tan of Stevensville came in second place, playing the violin, and Samantha Pankratz, Kaitlin Essig and Mikaela Lies of Stevensville came in third dancing to Katy Perry’s “Firework.”
Coming in first place for the 11-14 age category was Haley Bolen of Benton Harbor singing “Don’t Rain on my Parade.” Lars Krebs of St. Joseph came in second place playing “Reelbeatrice” on the fiddle. Kim Pederson of St. Joseph came in third singing “Put Your Records On.”
DeAvondre Jones and Deonte Sims from Benton Harbor came in first place of the 15-18 age category, “krumping”  (street dancing). Savannah Lents was second place singing and playing the piano to her original song “No More.” The band Usher In, consisting of brothers Robert, Stuart and Jackson Kerr, came in third playing “Jesus Freaks.”
All acts were judged during auditions and finals on three criteria:
• Talent/ability — Shows a high level of proficiency in the chosen area of performance
• Stage presence — Confident in front of audience. Pleasing overall appearance. Costumes have been well chosen and add to the overall effect of the performance.
• Presentation of the talent — Thought has been given to details in performance. Contestant appears well-prepared and rehearsed. Contestant executes performance in a skillful manner. Audience shows positive response to performance.
First place winners from each category will receive $250; second place winners will receive $150; and third place winners will receive $100. All award money is being provided by 98.3 the Coast and Horizon Bank.
All of the winners from the three competitions showcase their talents today in the USA/Ag Expo building. For more information, contact Sue Patzer at (269) 925-1111 or e-mail spatzer@wirx.com.